


The Silence

by MrsSonBreigh



Series: KakaVege Week January 2018 [19]
Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Crying, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Platonic Cuddling
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-05
Updated: 2018-01-05
Packaged: 2019-02-28 17:44:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,233
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13276641
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsSonBreigh/pseuds/MrsSonBreigh
Summary: Vegeta tells Goku about his time serving Frieza.





	The Silence

**Author's Note:**

> For KakaVege week!  
> January 5, Crying

“Get the _fuck_ away from me, Kakarot!” Vegeta swiped at his eyes again, but the wet tracks were instantly replaced with even hotter, more passionate tears.

“Vegeta, come on, I just want to help.” Goku reached toward the smaller man, holding his arms out as if going to embrace him.

Vegeta flinched away from him, “I don’t need your pity! Leave me be!” He lunged out, swiping jagged-from-biting nails across Goku’s cheek to leave thin lines of beading blood. Goku winced but continued his effort at comforting him.

“‘Geta…” He slowed down, crouching a bit to come eye level with the prince, “I’m not pitying you. I just want to help.”

Vegeta’s eyes were rimmed red from a combination of crying and wiping his face repeatedly, “No you don’t, you just want to get in my head and fuck me up just like everyone else did! Leave me alone, for fuck sake!”

Sick of using logic, Goku flashed out of reality to come back just behind Vegeta. He wrapped his huge arms around the small frame, pinning him down to himself and wrapping his legs tight around Vegeta’s to keep him from kicking. That didn’t stop the prince from trying, though. He thrashed his head around wildly, snarling and growling and making another noise that Goku couldn’t recognize in Vegeta’s voice, but it chilled him to the bone nonetheless.

After a few seconds of struggling, Vegeta flashed into super Saiyan, pulling his arms harder. But Goku was a second ahead of him, and had already ascended into super Saiyan two. When Vegeta went to match his strength again, Goku struggled to go into and maintain super Saiyan three, but after Vegeta’s useless attempt at pulling his hair and headbutting him from behind, he stopped his struggle and sat limp and catatonic in Goku’s still surging arms. 

Goku immediately descended into his normal state, hair shrinking and fading into black. Vegeta took a deep sigh, tears still steadily rolling down his sunken cheeks.

“Kakarot, do you know the sound of war?”

Goku found that to be a strange question, “What?”

“Do you know what insomnia is like?”

Goku was becoming more puzzled as Vegeta spoke, but he still held on, braving enough to gently rub the pad of his thumb across Vegeta’s sinewy bicep.

“Kakarot, answer me.”

Goku shook himself out of his thoughts and lifted his head a bit, “What’s the sound of war, Vegeta?”

Vegeta shook his head, as if thinking of it alone made him sick, “It’s the sound of bones snapping and skin frying… Like every last living cell in a body is crying out in pain, and it crackles loud and never stops until the corpse is left as nothing but a chunk of stinking charcoal, and knowing that it used to be someone you called a comrade.”

“Jesus, Vegeta.”

Vegeta thrashed a bit more, but weaker, and Goku didn’t have to exert much energy to keep him still, “The fucking sleeplessness! Kakarot you have not a single clue!” He whipped his head to come face to face with the younger warrior, tracks still glistening messily over his angry cheeks. He lowered his voice, “Do you know what kept me up, Kakarot?”

Goku looked in his eyes with deep concern, “The sounds?”

Vegeta lowered his brow in a poison glare, “The silence.” He bit out.

Goku was unsure of what to say. It wasn’t often that the prince rendered him entirely speechless, but it seemed to be taking less as of late. 

He knew Vegeta didn’t want pity, so he dared not apologize, but still he held on, possibly for his own comfort more than Vegeta’s at this point. How long had he kept this in? How many times had he gone through this alone? The thought itself made Goku’s stomach churn.

He wished he had been there for his prince earlier, “Vegeta.”

“What?” He seemed less tense, that was a good sign, maybe.

Why had Goku said Vegeta’s name? He wasn’t sure himself, so he stayed quiet for fear of upsetting him further.

“Kakarot, you can let go now. I’m fine,”

With extreme caution, Goku released his death grip on Vegeta, only to have the prince turn and bring his knees to his chest. He leaned his head on Goku’s shoulder, looking for an ounce of comfort in being held by someone larger. All his brain could scream at him was ‘DANGER’.

Vegeta took a long deep breath to calm his nerves, and closed his eyes. He knew in himself that Goku was no danger to him, but his body was trained to avoid those bigger than him. Bigger usually meant stronger, and stronger meant pain. He kind of chuckled to himself at a strange thought.

Goku looked down, careful not to move too much for fear of disturbing him, “What is it?”

Vegeta shook his head, nestling further into the sturdy crook of Goku’s elbow. He truly felt like a baby, being held in such a way, but it felt worth the trouble, “I’m training.”

“When?”

“Right now,”

Goku was perplexed, nothing his elder was saying made sense, but he knew that if he waited long enough, he would get an explanation.

“Training myself to not be afraid of you,” Vegeta cursed himself, that was the worst possible choice of words he could’ve made, but if he had said it any other way, he would’ve been lying.

“To trust.”

Goku nodded, “I’ll be your training partner whenever you need one, ‘Geta,”

Instead of responding verbally, Vegeta adjusted himself again, so his face was buried in Goku’s neck. He noted that he smelled like dirt and sage, an oddly calming scent, considering the circumstances. He took a greedy deep breath, unashamed at his forthrightness. He could feel Goku’s heart subtly increase in speed, but ignored the subconscious reaction all together for more of his dizzying scent.

“Vegeta,” Goku again, tried not to move much as he tried to catch a glance at the prince, “Are you alright? You seem… Off.”

Vegeta chuckled to himself, “I’m alright for now, Kakarot. Thank you for helping me. I truly appreciate it.”

Any sort of praise from Vegeta always sent Goku for a loop, but it was never unwelcome. He looked up into the pitch sky, the starlessness adding to the inky black. It was jarring, how small Goku felt on this tiny world, in a tiny solar system.

But the tiny man in his arms shifted and brought his attention back down to his lap, where Vegeta had comfortably stationed himself and was now snoring. 

He didn’t know what Vegeta had gone through to make him the way he was, but whatever had happened had led to the prince sleeping on him, and for that he was grateful. Slowly and carefully lifting himself and Vegeta into the air without changing positions, Goku backed up into a semi-comfortable looking rock face. He settled in, leaning his head back again as he ran his fingers through Vegeta’s hair absentmindedly.

He looked at the starless sky again.

He nodded to himself. He was small in the big nothing, and so was Vegeta, but he was Goku’s world, his night and day, his stars and moon. Nothing could compare to the comfort he felt when finally holding him after all that time. He was thankful. Grateful.

He had another thing to protect. It started here.


End file.
